Heritage - Broad Breast crosses

[Molpet]

Wow, Spudley is growing up and looking good! Thanks so much for the update, haven't been doing too much, just trying to survive the heat this year. My hen Bridget still laying, she is a nice hen (not surprising that she is a good egg layer, since that is the primary job of commercial birds). My 2 feed store adoptees have grown, I am hoping they are not both Toms, pretty sure at least one is, have been feeding them cherry tomatoes on a plant that I wound up not liking much (Black Cherry) and they about take my hand off for those... Have 5 heritage poults, a black, a slate or blue?, a white one (probable Royal Palm), and 2 that are some kind of dilute colored bronze or Narragansett. Have to post pics and have you all help me with these colors. Think they are close to 8 weeks now, too soon to sex them. I have been collecting eggs and pondering whether I should do a late hatch or not after it cools off. I have figured out that what I really want are farm turkeys, which my definition is birds that can reproduce naturally, but still maintain a degree of meatiness in the carcass. They still produce birds like that in the UK, which being a small, island country, has many small holder farmers who produce the birds for a limited market... Doing a little research and came up with this link of how it is done in the UK with interviews from actual small holder turkey farmers making a living raising free range birds over there maybe it will interest some. Not promoting the UK or anything, just their support of small holder farming and maintaining farm turkeys. Hoping it cools off soon, though know it won't until the end of September, that is the way it is around these parts... Hoping all is well with everyone... Looking forward to seeing Spudley poults next year! https://www.countrysideonline.co.uk/home/get-involved/uk-turkeys/meet-the-turkey-farmers

thanks for the link
several growers said they 'game hang them for 10 days' ..I wonder if that would be legal to sell in the USA

 

[BreanneRN]

thanks for the link
several growers said they 'game hang them for 10 days' ..I wonder if that would be legal to sell in the USA

I took that to mean they would hang the carcass under refrigeration for that amount of time like we do beef? Though I am not sure of the advantage to that exactly and not sure if that is done in the US or not? Though I am sure that here it would take at least 10 days for commercial growers to get them to market, so perhaps the end result is the same... But I don't really know...

 

[Molpet]

I took that to mean they would hang the carcass under refrigeration for that amount of time like we do beef? Though I am not sure of the advantage to that exactly and not sure if that is done in the US or not? Though I am sure that here it would take at least 10 days for commercial growers to get them to market, so perhaps the end result is the same... But I don't really know...

game hanging is with guts inside.... or as one put it not drawn..
https://honest-food.net/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

 

[BreanneRN]

Interesting link! It does note that geese have to be eviscerated first due to "too much heat" and the bird not cooling enough... Comments interesting too... I am wondering if they do draw them before hanging in the UK? I think they are pretty into tradition over there... Would be interesting to contact one of the growers and find out...

 

[BreanneRN]

So, I went to the Frenchbeer Farms website and sent them an email to see what exactly they do as far as gamehanging the turkeys... I'll let you all know if I get a response! They do have some nice, meaty looking birds over there in Devon...

 

[BreanneRN]

Oh, and here is a link to Frenchbeer's website, it sure sounds like they do their best to "do it right".... https://www.frenchbeerfarm.co.uk/copy-of-our-story-1

 

[BreanneRN]

Speaking of the UK, guess where you can still find the Nebraskan turkey? (this question is kind of a spoiler and if you guessed "UK" you are right!). They imported some way back when and have continued the line over there... Here is a link to some examples... My guess is they did not breed the meat off of them... So, this may be one of the last of America's true farm turkeys, since all the others have been "heritagized" (my apologies to any this might offend). https://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKNebr.html They are quite beautiful birds!

 

[Molpet]

Speaking of the UK, guess where you can still find the Nebraskan turkey? (this question is kind of a spoiler and if you guessed "UK" you are right!). They imported some way back when and have continued the line over there... Here is a link to some examples... My guess is they did not breed the meat off of them... So, this may be one of the last of America's true farm turkeys, since all the others have been "heritagized" (my apologies to any this might offend). https://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKNebr.html They are quite beautiful birds!

I know Porter is trying to recreate the Nebraskan, I didn't know the UK still had them .
And it appears they are not too common there either http://breedsavers.blogspot.com/2011/04/nebraskan-turkey.html

 

[BreanneRN]

I know Porter is trying to recreate the Nebraskan, I didn't know the UK still had them .
And it appears they are not too common there either http://breedsavers.blogspot.com/2011/04/nebraskan-turkey.html

Yes, sadly, it looks like they are on their way out over there as well. Though if Porter got some of them, the only thing he would save would be the color... The UK has their own heritage birds to save, so I guess we can't expect them to focus on ours. The Ridley Bronze is not doing too well either from the sounds of it, although they have maintained the whole bird, disposition, reproduction, foraging ability and meat.https://www.facebook.com/RidleyBronze/ Down to 250 breeding females in 2015, apparently....

 

[BreanneRN]

Well, no word from the Brits about how they hang those turkeys. I think I will try again and not tell them I am from the USA (shouldn't have to start with, I'm thinking). Anyway, I have these 5 Heritage turkey poults and 2 are not recognizably colored to me, but this one is quite beautiful! I am hoping it might be a Golden Narragansett, but they

seem darker... These are 10 to 12 weeks old now... Maybe someone here can help?